CrossFit Murph Hero WOD – Tips for the Memorial Day Challenge

There are a handful of CrossFit Heroes WODs, Benchmark Workouts, named after fallen service members to push you to their limits. But maybe there is no hero who is more honored (or more challenging) than Murph.

You know all about Murph when you're training on a CrossFit box on Memorial Day. Murph, named after Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy, is training the election on the boxes on Memorial Day to honor the men and women of the armed forces who have lost their lives.

Murphy was a Navy Seal killed in action in Afghanistan. After his death, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his deeds, the highest honor of the US military. He was the first US Navy member to receive the award since the days of the Vietnam War. He designed Murph during the mission and it became one of his most important workouts. It has also become a favorite of Hollywood celebrities, with people like Chris Pratt, Dwayne Johnson and John Krasinski doing all they can to raise awareness of veteran issues.

It's also one of CrossFit's most intimidating hero WODs, thanks to a pair of 1

-mile runs (yes, two of them) and some big numbers for the Calisthenic moves. Fighting Murph requires both physical and mental strength, especially if you do it the way you intended, and wear a 20 pound weight-vest for the entire company.

But you can do Murph. You only need an intelligent plan. I will give that to you now.

Training

There are two ways to get through Murph, none of which is easy. In any case, work through the following parts.

1-mile run

100 pull-ups

200 push-ups

300 squats

Another 1-mile run

When the event popped up At the 2016 CrossFit games, the competition was " unpartitioned, which meant you had to finish all the moves in sequence and complete all 100 pull-ups before going on the push-ups.

Hyperwear Hyper Vest Elite

In most cases, however, you will see people "partitioning" them. This means that you can do the pull ups, pushups and squats in any order and at will. For example, you can do 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, and 30 squats for 10 sets. This will help you move faster, as one muscle group can recover (at least a little) while another one is exercising.

In both cases, it's all about the tempo. And in any case, if you really want to experience the true Murph experience, you will be able to lead the entire fight with a 20 pound weight vest.

Do you need a weight vest for your Murph? Take a look at this option from Hyper Wear or one of these great options.

Setting your Murph target

Some CrossFit workouts are sprints. This is not one of them. You want to set your own pace and should expect a 30- to 40-minute pace – if not more. A beginner should expect to finish Murph in 50 minutes. Experienced CrossFitter can shoot in 35 minutes. I'm done in less than 32 minutes.

Incidentally, these times apply to the partitioned version of Murph; The unpartitioned version is even more malicious. Check out the 2016 CrossFit games for proof when the unpartitioned version of Murph was an event. Josh Bridges was first in 34:38. Three-time champion Mat Fraser finished second in 35:48. Take the unpartitioned murph at your own risk.

All in all, this workout is relative to you! Once you've found a strategy, step back and estimate the goal you want to achieve, based on how well you can use pull ups, pushups, and squats. And remember, this weight vest will catch you up after a while, no matter how strong you are in these calisthenics moves.

Your Murph Schedule

In this breakdown, we focus on the partitioned version of Murph, as this is the more common challenge. Also in Murph there is a lot of strategy. Mentally, we can break the challenge into three parts: the opening mile, the moves, and the end mile.

Your First Mile

Like many CrossFit longer-running workouts that open with a cardiobased buy-in, the first mile run will not win you on this workout, but it could spoil things for you. It is common for people to want to get out of the gate, but unless you are a very experienced runner, you should not do so. Instead, start with a moderate, comfortable pace, play it safe and gradually pick up the pace as you progress. On this mile you do not want to burn out, because the "meat" of the training is still in front of you.

Cavan Images Getty Images

Think about your mile divide into quarters or thirds and increase the pace with each interval You should reach only 70 to 75 percent of your best mileage on this run.

The Movements

Once you are done While the movements seem to be simple (Pushups and squats are pretty easy), you'll need a plan here … To reach your best time, you'll have to split reps so you can not move ep all the time without making a mistake and missing a repeat. Your goal is to make a fixed number of reps of the pull-up, d Ann down and do a set number of reps of the pull-up and then do a set number of repetitions of the squat. You repeat your repeating scheme until you have completed all necessary repetitions of all three moves. Your goal is to minimize calm; It's okay to divide the repeats into many groups, but keep moving!

As with most CrossFit training sessions, small details can make a big contribution to this training. So optimize your setup before you dive into the exercises. They want to find a chin-up bar that does not have to be jumped too high to reach them. Also find your best pushup position before fatigue sets in. Chalk your hands and place handprints on the ground to mark your ideal hand position. Make sure your hands are in position directly under the chin-up bar. This allows you to fall seamlessly to the floor and access the individual pushups directly. Also, try to squat directly under the counter. In this way, you can ideally jump back to the bar and do pull-ups after the last squats.

Most people will eventually encounter problems either on the pull-ups or on the push-ups (or both). Your shoulders and chest are smaller muscle groups, so you need to get tired quickly and recover. Therefore, you should play to your strengths and be creative as you divide the reps. Let's go through the motions and then analyze some common repetition schemes.

Pull-up

Henn Photography Getty Images

You want to be familiar with your pullup capacity They come On the run, your upper body seems fresh and ready to use, hence Do not do it as it will wear you down at the time you set off The last 50 pull-ups Instead, find a number of repetitions that will keep you constant under fatigue For most, that's 5 reps or less – and that's fine.

Which repeating scheme you choose too, if you rest too much, cut it back Do not even be afraid to make quick singles Goal is to be consistent and to minimize rest. Try to leave the chin-up bar and not rest for more than 1 to 3 seconds before jumping back for more repetitions. [1 9659002] Note: This is also the practice where you want to turn off Kipping Pullups if you are familiar with Kipping Mechanics. Strict pull-ups take even longer to break through.

Push-Up

For most people, Murph becomes a push-up because they are not prepared for how quickly their chest wears off. Similar to the pull-ups, do not try to set big sets too soon. No matter which repetition scheme you choose, try doing 10 repetitions or less at once. When your chest gets tired, you break things up a bit more. For example, if you make sets of 10 and start fighting, you make a set of 5, followed by a pause of 2 or 3 seconds and another set of 5s. If you are really starting to struggle, do individual pushups, pausing from 1 to 2 seconds between each repetition. Two hundred pushups are a lot. Do not underestimate it – and do not lose your shape. Watch the video here for a quick introduction to the pushup form.

Air squat

The goal of squats: Keep moving! Your legs get tired of running, but they are your biggest muscle group and they have the ability to make big sets here. Choose a number that you know you can reach uninterrupted each time (for most of us that's about 20 reps). It'll hurt, but that's fine. Rummage through these squats so you can rest a bit more when you come to your pull ups and pushups.

The Repetition Plans

10 rounds with: 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 30 squats

Even if this repeating scheme looks straightforward, try "Murph" for the first time. think again. You are driven to the wall early, because remember that you are already tired from running. This is only for elite athletes who can run unbroken sets of 50 butterfly moves and 75 pushups in their fresh state as they have the ability to move quickly.

20 laps with: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats

This repeating pattern is equivalent to Cindy, another CrossFit workout, and is one of the most popular strategies. If you're doing well on pull-ups and push-ups and can comfortably do more than 40 push-ups when you're fresh, this is for you.

20 rounds: 5 pull-ups, 5 push-ups, 15 squats, 5 push-ups

Push-ups are the Achilles' heel for most in this workout as well. Here we divide them into two sets of 5 repetitions separated by these 15 squats. This little breather between pushups will give your chest a little more rest and prevent you from making a mistake early. If you skip the Kipping pull-ups and attack Murph with strict pull-ups, this is your option. You have enough time to recover between two strict pullups. However, this is not the best strict pull-up option.

50 laps: 2 pull-ups, 4 push-ups, 6 squats

Yes, 50 laps sound intimidating, but each lap is quick and easy to reach. If you work through this repetition scheme and do not need to rest between steps, your only break will be during movement-to-movement transitions. If you are striving for rigorous pull-ups, you should use them as the first formatting.

The second mile

Corey Jenkins Getty Images

Well, you're tired, but you're almost done. The second mile's goal is similar to the first: divide it to third and target, with each third faster You're exhausted now, but that's fine.

But do not allow yourself to take a break to start the run It's crucial that you finish your last repetition of body weight Do not go, even if you do Just jog slowly, move your legs and pause the first third of a mile to keep moving You have settled in, pick up the pace again tank o n the last third. Dig deep! You'll be proud of yourself when it's all over.

Ian Creighton Ian Creighton is General Manager at Brick New York, a crossfit box in Manhattan and a Crossfit Level 2 trainer.